For those of you who follow me on Facebook you have seen me post a lot of pics of the sandwiches from this Folly Beach hidden gem. There have been many questions as to why I have not done a write-up on this factory of between-two-slices awesomeness. The Girl's busy life is why. When she is off volunteering, or advising college women on their future, or traveling for work, I run to Folly, grab a to-go sandwich, and head home to watch all the movies she hates. As much as I LOOOOOVE these sandwiches, they look a little less than fantastic when in a to-go box. All it took was her Uncle coming to town to finally get a sit-down experience.
The 'Wich Doctor is a small space with tons of attitude. Tiny little space, picnic tables out front, and the laid back eclectic music that remind you of the Bohemian Folly Beach of days gone by. They grind their spices, cure and roast their meats, make their own sausage. Keeping it in house allows a greater control over the quality of the product. They also happen to be Pepper Heads, excelling in spicy house-made sauces and marinades. Not a selling point to The Girl, but I do the happy dance.
What a cute shade of pink. Oh well, time to eat you
The Girl's uncle, Ahnold Schwartznprogramer, got the party started with the Smoked Chicken ($8). This is a heaping pile of house smoked pulled chicken topped with shaved cabbage and pickled red onion with choice of sauce. As a side item he went with the potato salad with green beans. The chicken has a rich smoke and is well balanced by the acidity of the onions. The thick-cut toast holds together great for what could have been an absolute mess.
My Sandwich has a first name, it's spelled D-E-L-I-S-H
The Girl went to the Grilled Cheese of the Day. Past entries have included a Meatloaf grilled cheese, as well as a Szechwan pork grilled cheese. Today's offering: Thick cut bologna, pimento cheese, and pickled green beans-no side needed. This is the kind of childhood-meets-modern sandwich that both of us love. While The Girl wasn't a huge fan of the beans (I took care of them, don't worry) she absolutely LOVED the bologna and pimento cheese mixture. The smoky edge to the bologna is well balanced by the verge of too spicy pimento cheese. She want's this on the permanent menu.
All you need is a mint julep and a horse race
The Girl's grandmother, Scarlet v-O'andwater, went with the Kentucky Hot Brown ($8) with it's house smoked turkey, bacon and tomato on toast with mornay sauce. Rich, rib-sticking, and decadent would be good adjectives to use here. My one complaint is that it tends to be a little one-note. I would like more of a crispy baguette-style bread to give a little more textural contrast.
Hangover? Not after this
My favorite sandwich is the Hanoi Hoagie, a traditional lemongrass beef 'with with Vietnamese condiments. Order it. It is great. This time around I decided to go with the Pork Belly ($10) with it's sunny-side-up egg. This is a hangover cure. The loose yolk and salty pork will help drive away those whiskey blues. The pork belly fad may be the demise of this sandwich though. Expect to see pork belly redone with a new flavor profile before too long.
I am afraid I can't report on their pizzas as of yet, but I will rectify that soon. The important thing is that The Girl is happy, and my sandwich fix has been met. Keep it local, keep it fresh, and get in to The 'Wich Doctor before the summer season makes Folly untenable for locals.
The Scores:
Ambiance: 4/5
Food: 8/10
Service: 4/5
Value: 5/5
Overall: 21 out of 25 Eclectic sandwiches with high-quality product makes a day at the beach that much better.
#forkandtell